Lydia, Judged to be Faithful

Paul meets Lydia when he enters Philippi and finds some women meeting to pray down by the River Gangites outside the city. Apparently there was no synagogue in Philippi as the building of a synagogue required at least 10 adult males. Thyatira where Lydia came from (and perhaps some of the other women as well) was a melting pot of many cultures and had a sizable Jewish population. Lydia (and perhaps others) were Jewish believers in God but had not heard about the Gospel of Chris. Paul teaches this small congregation the Gospel and they become believers, especially Lydia. Lydia opens her house to Paul and this becomes the first Christian church in Europe. 

Philippi 

The city of ancient Philippi is located on the main E-W trade route to Constantinople (Via Egnatia). The city is at the head of the Aegean Sea at a vital crossroads from Thrace (modern Bulgaria) to Greece. The city was built at the foot of Mt. Orbelos (part of Pangaion Hills) in eastern Macedonia.

Philippi was founded by Philip II of Macedon (Alexander’s father) in 356 B.C. on the site of the Thracian colony of Krinides (“wells”). Philip endowed the city with a defensive wall and granted it a degree of autonomy (citizens were registered as Philippians and not Macedonians).

After the Roman conquest of Macedon in 167 B.C. the city declined. A major battle (actually two battles) was fought on the Plains of Philippi between the armies of Octavian / Marc Antony and Brutus / Cassius in October, 42 B.C. The result of the battle was a decisive victory for Antony. Afterwards, Philippi was colonized (and garrisoned) by veterans of the XXVIII Legion as well as retired members of the Praetorian Guard. Octavian always believed that his rise to fame and power (he became Caesar Augustus) was due to his victory at Philippi. Therefore, he turned Philippi into a “miniature Rome” which became the most famous city in all of Macedonia.

Paul first visited in ca. 49-52 A.D. and later in 56 and 57 A.D. He founded the first Christian church in Europe. Today visitors can see the site of the baptism of Lydia as well as the earthquake and prison incident (Acts 16). Philippi was largely destroyed by a major earthquake in 619 A.D.

Philippi was known for its rich gold mines. After the original Macedonian settlement, extensive new mines were discovered which provided Philip with an income of over ”1,000 talents of gold per year” (a Greek talent was 26 kilos or 57.3 pounds (917 ounces) worth over $1.15 million / year today). Despite this wealth, the city is believed to have never had a population of over 2,000 people until the Roman period.

Philippi was extensively excavated by Greek archeologists, first from 1914, 1920-37; followed by a major excavation from and restoration from 1958-78.

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Lesson: Acts 16:6-40

OK, time to get your Bibles out and turn to Acts 16. Key highlights of these verses are as follows:

1. Acts 16 – V6-10: Paul and Silas had moved through southern Turkey (Phrygia and Galatia) and wanted to go west to Ephesus. But they were forbidden (the Greek word here is “koluthentes” meaning hindered). They then tried to go north, but again the Holy Spirit pushed them northwest to Troas (which is ancient Troy). At Troas, Paul has a dream of a Macedonian man (northern Greece) calling him to go there. Verse 10 is a very important verse because up until now the narrative has been second person (“they”). Now it changes to the first person (“we”). This is important because the author of Acts, Luke, is believed to have joined them at this point.
2. V11-15: Note all of the uses of “we” in verses 11-15. Philippi had been settled by retired Roman soldiers. There was no synagogue in the city at this time (ca. 52 A.D.) so the Jews worshipped at a place down by the Gangites River. Lydia and her friends are met by Paul who then preaches to them. They are baptized by Paul and Lydia invites them all to come to her house. Lydia is originally from Thyatira which is in Asia Minor (Turkey) but she has moved to Philippi to open up her business which is making and selling “Lydian Purple” cloth. Lydian Purple is not made from Murex seashells but from madder root which turns it more magenta rather than purple in color.
3. V16-40: Paul and Silas walk through Philippi and they encounter a slave girl who is possessed by a demon which gives her the ability to see the future. She calls out to Paul that they are servants of the Most High God, which is true. So why does Paul turn and drive the demon out? Either he was annoyed at her following them or more likely, he did not want a demon to be the one announcing Christ was with them. The owner of the slave girl becomes angry once he discovers that she has lost her divination powers. He therefore complains to the magistrate who has Paul and Silas beaten and thrown into jail without a hearing or trial (against Roman Law). Later that night, there is a great earthquake which not only opens the jail doors but also loosens the chains of the prisoners. The prison guard is terrified and wants to commit suicide. Why? Because under Roman Law if prisoners escape then their punishment is transferred to the jail keeper. Paul assures the man they are still there and he does not need to kill himself. The guard is so relieved that he invites them to his house; he cleans their wounds, and provides them with food. The next morning, the city officials tell Paul and Silas to go. Paul then tells them that they are Roman citizens and what they have done is a violation of Roman Law. The officials beg him to leave and be quiet but Paul says he will leave when he is finished with his business and only then. He then says goodbye to Lydia and her companions. Lydia is not head of what will become the first Christian church in Europe.

Conclusions

Lydia is yet another model of Christian discipleship and evangelism. She is depicted as a strong business woman and the leaders of a group of dealers in the manufacture and sale of “purple” cloth. She is also shown to be a strong believer in God and a woman who participates (and leads?) her friends in prayer.

The brief description of her encounter with Paul in Acts 16 shows Lydia as a model for all Christians in six ways:

• As a respected successful business woman who brought some renown to Philippi for her manufacture of Asian purple cloth
• She is a devout woman, setting aside a regular time to worship God
• She was a seeking woman; although a believer in God she was open to listening to and believing in the Gospel as she desired a deeper spiritual connection to God
• She becomes a Christian woman, baptized by Paul and her conversion declared by a public confession in the presence of her friends and co-workers
• She is shown as a hospitable woman who once converted, opens her house to Paul and his followers; she is not ashamed to give shelter to those who were wrongfully put in prison
• She is a consecrated woman who opens her house to become the first Christian church in Europe 

The best epithet for her is what Paul wrote in Romans 12:11; she was “Not slothful in business, fervent in Spirit, serving the Lord.

Next week we move to our Fall Quarter which is titled “The Soul of a Nation” and comes from Joshua, Judges and I and II Samuel. As our historical background, I will talk about the land of Canaan and the Canaanites.

Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for your word for us to study this past quarter. Open
our hearts to your message and help us to use our resources hospitably as in
the model of Lydia. Help us to see the people you are calling us to welcome
into the family of Christ. In our Lord and Savior’s name, we pray, Amen.

Have a great week in the Lord and I will see you next week.